FRANCE: New Look for Government?

"We are faced with the Imperator of Roman decadence," cried Paris Editor Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber. "We [will] no longer be in the republican tradition," mourned famed Historian Andre Siegfried. These were almost the only voices decisively raised last week when Premier Charles de Gaulle unveiled his proposed new constitution for France. De Gaulle submitted it to a 39-man Constitutional Consultative Committee, and, in a characteristic touch, gave them precisely 20 days to consider it.

His constitutional draft was strong medicine. Its fairly mild reception reflected the common recognition of the need for a...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!